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A human rights activist holds a picture of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adulteryMarcos Brindicci/REUTERS

Martin Fletcher

Last updated at 12:01AM, November 11 2010

Iran’s international isolation deepened yesterday when its bid for a seat on
the board of a prestigious new United Nations agency promoting women’s
rights was emphatically rebuffed.

Western governments and human rights organisations mounted a last-ditch
operation to have Iran blackballed from UN Women, and rejoiced at the
exclusion of a state that stones women to death for adultery and has one of
the world’s worst records on women’s rights.

“They lost, and they lost handily,” Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, said.
“We’ve made no secret of our concern that Iran joining the board of UN Women
would